Yassawi Research Center Dedicated to Central Asian Islamic Knowledge, Culture, and Civilization Opens in Islamabad
Within the framework of a Memorandum of Mutual Cooperation between our International University and the International Islamic University Islamabad (Islamic Republic of Pakistan), the Yassawi Research Center for Central Asian Islamic Knowledge, Culture, and Civilization was officially opened in Islamabad.
The event took place as part of the state visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
This initiative is the result of a memorandum signed in September in Astana during the 8th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held under the chairmanship of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The agreement was signed by the Rector of our University, Zhanar Temirbekova, and the President of the International Islamic University Islamabad, Professor Dr. Ahmed Shuja Syed.
Under the memorandum, the two universities have established systematic cooperation in implementing joint research projects, exchanging research materials, developing educational programs and teaching strategies, and organizing international conferences and lecture seminars.
The establishment of the Yassawi Research Center at the International Islamic University Islamabad is being implemented as a joint scientific project of the two institutions.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Sayassat Nurbek, the Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, as well as a delegation led by the Rector of our University, Zhanar Temirbekova, the leadership of the International Islamic University Islamabad, and representatives of the academic communities of both countries.
As part of the ceremonial program, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque took place, followed by the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an. An official presentation of the new research center was also held, during which the rectors and ministers delivered congratulatory remarks.
It should be noted that the main initiators of this initiative were the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, Erzhan Kystafin, and Professor Dr. Muhammad Zia, who headed the Research Institute of the International Islamic University Islamabad for many years.
The primary objective of the Center is to strengthen cooperation in the field of education in accordance with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s directive to develop comprehensive cooperation with Pakistan, expand interaction between academic communities, and support joint initiatives in the field of theology.
The Yassawi Research Center is intended to become a new intellectual platform connecting Central and South Asia, the Turkic and Indo-Persian Islamic traditions, classical Sufism, and contemporary Islamic studies.
In addition, the Center will promote the legacy of Khoja Akhmed Yassawi in English, Urdu, and Arabic, advance a science-based model of Islam, and strengthen spiritual ties between peoples.
In the future, scholars from our University will visit Pakistan to implement joint projects. Representatives of the Yassawi Studies Research Institute, faculty deans, and professors will further enhance academic cooperation, while Pakistani partners will visit Turkistan to deliver lectures and conduct research.
Furthermore, by the end of the year, an international scientific conference in Islamabad is planned, jointly with Pakistani partners, dedicated to a comprehensive study of the heritage of Khoja Akhmed Yassawi.
We are confident that the Yassawi Research Center for Central Asian Islamic Knowledge, Culture, and Civilization, opened in Islamabad, will significantly enhance the scientific and innovative potential of our International University and serve as a strategic project aimed at elevating the spiritual and academic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Pakistan to a new qualitative level.
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